LONG POND, Pa. - Joey Logano is barely old enough to drink and, from the look of his baby face, rarely has need for a razor blade.
Yet the third-year Sprint Cup Series driver can't help but wonder about his job security.
With one win in 95 career races and a dismal start to the 2011 season, when he failed to finish better than 23d in the first five races, Logano saw speculation grow about his future in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
"Obviously, there's been a lot of rumors around our team lately," Logano conceded. "It's in the back of your mind. You try to block it out when you're in the car, but it's tough to ignore when you're watching TV and you see stuff come up on the screen about this and that."
If only for a moment, Logano silenced his critics Saturday at Pocono Raceway when he became the track's youngest (21 years, 2 months, 13 days) pole-winner with an average speed of 172.055 m.p.h.
Logano's third career pole will put him on point for Sunday's Good Sam RV Insurance 500 alongside Kasey Kahne, who had held the distinction of being Pocono's youngest pole-sitter. Kahne's No. 4 Red Bull Racing Toyota was second-fastest in qualifying (171.648), and Toyota completed the podium sweep with Martin Truex Jr. locking up the third starting spot (171.494) in the No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Camry.
"Starting up front with clean air is worth a million bucks here," Logano said with a big grin. "Being able to start up front and get a good pit stall is definitely going to help us a lot. I'm pretty pumped up about that."
Logano said that he has been encouraged by team owner Joe Gibbs and team president J.D. Gibbs to ignore the gossip, and is excited by his team's recent performance. Three finishes of sixth or better in his last five starts have boosted Logano to 19th in the standings.
"We've been doing a good job lately, and we've been building a lot of momentum," Logano said. "I think the confidence in the whole team is definitely up right now, especially in me. If your owners are behind you and saying [the talk about the future is] all rumors, what do you have to worry about, really?"
Notes. After Cup qualifying, rain wreaked havoc with the rest of Saturday's on-track action.
The Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 began on schedule, but just 17 of the scheduled 50 laps were completed before the skies opened up. NASCAR officials announced that the Camping World Truck Series race will resume at 9 a.m. Sunday, followed by the Pennsylvania ARCA 125.
The Sprint Cup race is set to go green at 1:18 p.m.
The Track: Pocono Raceway is on Route 115 in Long Pond, Pa. Take the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) to Exit 95. Take I-80 east toward Hazleton/Mount Pocono to Exit 284. Head south on Route 115 for 3 miles.
Sunday's on-track events: Good Sam RV Insurance 500 Sprint Cup Series race, 1 p.m.
Tickets: Call 1-800-722-3929 or check the track's Web site at www.poconoraceway.com.
- Pete Schnatz
Contact Pete Schnatz at rally@phillynews.com.
